Abstract

It is generally accepted that soldiers need to be mentally prepared to perform well on operations but there is little agreement on how commanders can best prepare the individual soldier and the unit for deployment. This article examines the antecedents of psychological readiness in several Australian military units at the time of Operations WARDEN and TANAGER. The interrelationships among human factors that predict individual and group psychological readiness are explored. These factors include operational experience, health behaviours, morale, cohesion, the behaviour of the immediate commander, and perceptions of leadership effectiveness. Across both samples (N = 363 and N = 452) there were consistent, positive associations between psychological readiness and military experience, health and unit climate. The human dimensions of unit climate were easily the most influential factors when trying to predict individual and collective readiness. Overall, measures of horizontal cohesion (Cohesion and Team Climate) were the strongest and most consistent predictors of psychological readiness. It is recommended that units routinely undertake a climate assessment in the lead-up to deployment (as well as during deployment). In this way, the unique constellation of human factors in that unit, at that time, can be assessed in order to inform command decision-making.